Be Careful What You Wish For
by Burrito Swan
Summary: Emma has everything she ever could have wished for. She has her parents, and the life of a princess in the Enchanted Forest, but when pirates crash one of the balls being held in her honor, Emma decides to hunt them down alone, unaware of what she's just gotten herself into... [Season 6x10 Canon Divergence; a VERY different take on Emma's Wishverse; Enchanted Forest AU-ish…]
1. Prologue

**Rating:** T

 **Pairings:** CaptainSwan; Snowing

 **Summary:** Emma has everything she ever could have wished for. She has her parents, and the life of a princess in the Enchanted Forest, but when pirates crash one of the balls being held in her honor, Emma decides to hunt them down alone, unaware of what she's just gotten herself into... [Season 6x10 Canon Divergence; a VERY different take on Emma's Wishverse; Enchanted Forest AU-ish…]

 **Description:** I think we could all use a fic like this, especially after the mess that was 6x10 ("Wish You Were Here"). I mean, I don't utterly despise Regina like some people, but I think I've had enough of her for a little while… (I think I should warn you now that Regina isn't exactly portrayed in a great light here, so I'm not sure that this fanfic is for you Regina fans out there.) However, I'm willing to mostly forgive the episode, if only for Emma's princess hair. Absolutely flawless.

This fanfiction will deal with the fake memories Emma was given by her wish being granted, and how she came to meet Killian in the alternate universe that was created. It'll make sense the more of it you read, trust me. It should also tie back into the main story in much later chapters. It is based off a post by mrs-emma-swan-jones on Tumblr.

Like I said, this fanfiction is a much different take on 6x10 where the Evil Queen grants Emma her dream life in the Enchanted Forest. First of all, Henry's not here, because that didn't make sense at all, and the show didn't even try to explain how that was possible. Things are also a little different with the Evil Queen and Rumple, but it should all tie into canon events in due course.

Emma is living with her parents in their castle in the Enchanted Forest. Every so often, the king and queen hold a royal ball in honor of their daughter in the hopes that she will find love. In that regard, it works, but not in the ways everyone expects…

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE – PROLOGUE**

* * *

 **PRESENT DAY**

"Help me!"

Emma's concern over the eerily-familiar night-time fog on Main Street faded away as a feminine voice called out to her, Killian, and David from Granny's. Without hesitation, they jogged towards the diner, and opened the doors to find Jasmine tied to a chair in the centre of the room.

"Jasmine!" Emma acknowledged, starting towards her, only to be stopped by the kitchen door of Granny's being opened.

"Ah, ah," the Evil Queen teased, striding towards Jasmine with a strange object in her left hand. " _This_ is about me. It's _always_ about me."

Emma couldn't argue with that. "Damn right," she snarled, raising the sword that could harm the Queen and advancing towards her, only to be stopped by Jasmine's cry of pain as the Evil Queen choked her.

"I can snap her neck before you get a step closer," she told Emma, prompting Emma to back off and wave her hand in the air to surrender. "That's better."

The Evil Queen released her hold on Jasmine's neck, and rubbed the strange object in her hand (which Emma identified as a magic lamp) three times, calling forth the genie from within. Emma couldn't help but be shocked at the appearance of Aladdin, though she was too preoccupied to care how he had gotten in there.

"What the devil?" she heard Killian question.

"Not the devil," the Evil Queen responded, glancing over at Aladdin. "My genie."

"I'm sorry," Aladdin apologized.

He seemed as though he was about to explain himself before the Evil Queen butted in once more. "I believe I have three wishes."

"Go ahead, wish," he told her. "They always come with a price."

"That they do," the Queen acknowledged, keeping her gaze on Emma. "Which is why, I'm not going to wish for something for me. I'm going to give _you_ something." She kept her gaze on Emma. "Something you've always wanted. Something you confided about to Aladdin."

 _I wish I never became the Savior._

Emma's own words rang in her ears. "You heard us?"

"Don't you know by now?" the Evil Queen asked incredulously. "I hear everything. You wished you weren't the Savior… so that's exactly what you're going to get."

Emma was partially stunned by her words. _Could she really do that?_ she thought to herself. She looked over at her father for his reaction, and he gave her a look of equal concern.

"Genie of Agrabah," the Evil Queen began. "I wish that Emma Swan's wish to have never been the Savior be granted."

Emma stared in shock at the Queen before turning to Aladdin, who looked disappointed. _Could he really do that?_ She knew she should fight it but, deep down, a part of her was telling her that this was a good thing, that maybe, just maybe, she could have the life she always wanted. A life without dependency on her. A life without magic. A life without the pain of her past.

 _No,_ she reassured herself firmly. She is Emma Swan. A mother. A daughter. A friend. A love. A lover. A Savior. All of these things made Emma who she is now, and Emma was sure of it: she couldn't lose her Savior status, even if it meant her death, even if there was a happier life in store for her without the burden of the Savior. Being the Savior had gotten her this far. It had gotten her everything she ever wanted – a family. She had her parents, her son, her Killian, and her friends. She would stop this, no matter what.

"No!" she exclaimed, charging towards the Evil Queen.

The last thing she saw before the room fell away around her was Aladdin's arm extending outwards towards her.

She closed her eyes as the world disappeared around her. The hard floor of Granny's and the familiar smell of grilled cheese faded away as a new feeling set in. She became aware that she was no longer standing in Granny's with Killian and David at her side, but lying in an extremely comfortable bed. She was asleep, and she felt her old memories disappearing – her life of running away, Neal, Henry, Storybrooke, her parents, Regina, Killian, her little brother. Suddenly, new memories began to fill her head as she felt herself awaken from her slumber and smile with one name on her lips that sent a feeling of happiness all over her body.

 _Killian._

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _ **Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek at what's to come. I'm planning on this being a twenty-something chapter fanfiction, so I hope you're all willing to stick around for a little while. I hope I can do justice to the No Dark Curse AU trope that's be done a thousand times before. Updates should be between once and twice a week, depending on my mood, and hopefully it'll be enough to get you guys through this long hiatus we've got ahead of us. As always, feel free to leave a review down below (positive or negative), and I do hope you enjoy the rest of the story.**_


	2. The Princess of Misthaven

**CHAPTER TWO – THE PRINCESS OF MISTHAVEN**

* * *

 **TWENTY-NINE YEARS AGO**

The bells rang throughout the castle, and were blended with Grumpy's cries of concern.

"The Curse! It's here!"

Snow lay on her bed, clutching her stomach. Charming stood at her side as she cried out in pain. She couldn't have this baby. She wouldn't have this baby. She needed to travel with it through the magic wardrobe to the new land.

"I can't…" she began. "…have this baby now."

"Doc, do something," she heard Charming mutter to the dwarf at her side. He turned his head back to her. "It's gonna be okay. The wardrobe's almost finished… just hold on."

The curse was approaching fast. Snow snuck a glance out the window within cries of pain to see the purple mist enveloping the mountains in the distance, and travelling quickly along the surface of the lake.

Charming continued to mutter things like "it's okay" and "everything will be fine", but Snow didn't believe it. She wished she could, but she couldn't see anyway that this would end happily.

Her cries of pain were non-stop, and she almost didn't hear Gepetto come in. "It's ready," he told them.

"It's too late," Doc told Charming as he began to lift Snow off the bed. "We can't move her."

They had no choice. The baby was coming, and Snow was now powerless to stop her daughter's birth. So, she did what Doc told her, and pushed.

Emma was a beautiful baby. Her sea green eyes reflected her parents' joy at the sight of her, to protect her, they wrapped her in the blanket they had woven specifically for her.

"The wardrobe," Snow said. "It only takes one."

There was a cry of pain from soldiers outside, and Charming took a moment before responding. "Then our plan has failed," he said upsettingly. "At least we're together."

Staring at this baby, Snow now knew that taking this baby with them wouldn't be giving Emma her best chance. She didn't want to. She didn't want to say goodbye, but their daughter would find them. She would always find them.

She opened her mouth to tell Charming to take the baby to the wardrobe, but was interrupted by a glittering shine on the balcony turning into an old friend.

"Blue?" Snow asked incredulously.

"Snow," Blue responded with a weak smile, approaching them.

"What are you doing here?"

"I think I can stop the Evil Queen's curse."

Snow sat up in the bed, still cradling their daughter, and Charming stood up and approached her. "What?" he asked. "How?"

"With this," she said before holding her hand out and causing a strange object to appear in her hand in a cloud of blue mist.

Charming and Snow examined the object. At first, Snow thought it was a green wand of some kind, but realized it looked like a plant of some sort.

"What is that?" Charming asked.

"It's a sapling," Blue explained. "It was created by the first spark of a True Love." Snow and Charming shared a look of confusion. "As I'm sure you're both well aware, True Love can break any curse, and this might be just the thing we need to break this curse before it fully ravages the kingdom."

Snow and Charming stared in awe at Blue and turned their attention back towards the sapling. Blue nodded to it before bringing it over to Snow, and Charming came over with her. She suspended the sapling in the air and indicated for them to reach out and touch it. Ignoring another few battle cries from outside, Snow and Charming reached out and touched the sapling.

There was a burst of light from the sapling as memories began flashing before both Snow and Charming's eyes. Memories of their time together.

 _Follow me!_

 _Snow._

 _Aren't you a real Prince Charming?_

 _You saved me._

 _I thought I'd lost you forever…_

 _May the love between you always be strong and true and eternal._

 _If you need anything… I will always find you._

 _Do you promise?_

 _I do._

 _Knowing you believe in me means I'm not alone._

The flashes stopped as they both took their hand off the sapling, which was now sparkling. They looked at each other with confusion and deep love in their eyes.

"You did it!" Blue cheered. "Now, let's stop this."

They didn't have much time to react before Blue walked to the balcony and somehow managed to plant the sapling on the hard floor of the balcony. Charming helped Snow out of the bed and over to the balcony.

Suddenly, the sapling began to pulse with a bright light, and it sent out a wave of magic that slowly began to envelop the land, similarly to when Charming had kissed Snow awake from her sleeping curse.

Once the burst of light connected with the dark cloud of the curse, it began to push it backwards, returning from whence it came. Snow, Charming, and Blue all stared marvellously at the dark cloud, which had disappeared behind the mountains that it enveloped moments ago.

Blue turned to them with a big smile on her face and opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by Black Knights flinging the door to Snow's room open. Five of them piled in, and were followed closely by the Evil Queen, who had an evil grin on her face, clearly unaware of what had just happened.

Charming stood protectively in front of Snow, who held Emma as close to her chest as she possibly could.

"It's over, Regina," Snow called to her. "You've lost."

The Evil Queen laughed at that. "Oh, have I? Well, I believe my Dark Curse would agree to disagree."

"What Dark Curse?" Charming asked, unable to resist a smile of victory.

The Evil Queen's smile dropped as confusion filled her features.

"What…?" she asked slowly, stepping towards the balcony and peering outside. "No…"

"Sorry, Regina," Snow apologized sternly. "But you've lost… again. And, as much as I'd like to hope you have learned your lesson, I know you haven't."

It was then that Snow nodded to Blue, indicating for her to do something, though the Evil Queen was too wrapped up in her own shock of defeat to notice. Blue made a black leather clasp appear in her hand with the slight flick of her fingers, and placed it on the Evil Queen's wrist. Blue then threw a handful of fairydust towards the five guards, causing them to fall to floor unconscious.

The Evil Queen glanced down at her wrist, feeling all of her dark magic being absorbed by the clasp, containing it, nullifying it.

"Blue?" Snow asked. "Please take her somewhere far from here. Somewhere where she won't be able to hurt anyone again."

"Of course, Snow," Blue responded with a nod.

She grabbed the Evil Queen's wrist, but before she could transport the two of them out of there, the Evil Queen spoke words that Snow will never forget.

"I meant what I said, Snow," the Evil Queen spat venomously. "I _shall_ destroy your happiness." She glanced at Emma. "In whatever form it may be." She looked back up at Charming. "No matter what it takes, even if is the last thing I do."

Blue scoffed and flicked her wrist, enveloping the two in a cloud of light blue mist.

Snow let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She looked down at her daughter, who looked into her eyes with shining emeralds of eyes.

Snow let a tear fall from her eye as she whispered her daughter's name. "Emma."

* * *

 **TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO**

His Emma loved the lake near their palace, Charming knew that much.

He'd take her there most days he could and let her wander around, provided she didn't go too far. Emma would usually spend time playing with the stones and staring at the water, which filled with swans every spring.

But today was different. Charming could tell. Emma was in a funny humor. Charming had read her the story of how he and Snow fell in love to her last night before bed, like he does every night. This had somehow led to Emma, despite being just four, ordering her father to wear the same outfit he wore when he proposed to Snow on this very beach.

"Okay," she instructed. "You stand _there_."

"Why?" Charming asked.

"Because I need practice. Now, stand _there_."

"I don't plan on letting you near any boys for another fifty years at least, Emma." Charming chuckled at her eye roll as he did as she told him, standing facing towards the forest. "Here?"

"Yes," Emma nodded. "Now get on one knee."

Charming continued to smile as he got to one knee and pulled the 'imaginary' box that Emma had told him to bring.

"My darling Emma," her father vowed dramatically as his daughter beamed at him. "Would you do me the great honor of giving me your hand in marriage?"

Emma giggled then, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, squealing a little when he stood up with her still clinging to her neck.

"You can't ask your own daughter to marry you, daddy!" Emma scolded with a grin.

"No, I suppose not," Charming agreed, flinging her over his shoulder, earning him a little giggle from his blonde princess. "But, one day, you'll have your own Prince Charming, Emma."

Emma smiled at his words. She was wise beyond her years. Her arms were hanging down alongside her hair from her perch over her father's shoulder. "Someday."

* * *

 **FOUR MONTHS AGO**

Princess Emma of Misthaven everything she ever could have wished for.

She had her parents, Queen Snow and King David, and she loved them so much. She honestly didn't know what she would do without them. She had been told that she was meant to be a Savior, destined to break the Evil Queen's curse and save the realm, but, luckily, that was all avoided.

She had more money than she knew what to do with. Due to their usurping of the throne from King George, her parents inherited all of the kingdom's wealth and riches, and used as much of it as they could to ensure that every single inhabitant of their kingdom was happy. Her mother had told her that her father (Emma's grandfather), King Leopold, also strived for the happiness of all in his kingdom.

She had magic. She couldn't control it very well, but she did have it. Her instructor, Mr. Gold, was quite awkward and cowardly, and didn't have much magic of his own. She was only at the stage where she could make an orange (there are no apples allowed in the castle, for obvious reasons) disappear, and reappear a few feet away. And this was despite the fact that she'd been learning for a whole year.

She had originally thought it would be great, learning how to do magic. But Emma soon learned that it's a lot of work and, between sword practice with her father and his knights and her mother holding a ball for her every chance she got, no matter the excuse, Emma hadn't much time for that kind of magic in her life. Besides, she had her parents. What more magic could she need?

So, when her mother arranged a ball to be held in a few weeks time in celebration of God knows what, Emma agreed to go, as she usually does, and quite enjoyed her mother's joyous squeal at her acceptance of the invitation. Little did the princess know that, on a ship hundreds of miles away, a pirate and his crew had just received word of this ball, and would end up making it a ball that Emma would never forget…

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _**Hey guys! Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far.**_

 _ **Just a quick note, to make things convenient, I decided to make Emma twenty-nine going on thirty because I couldn't find her definitive age online. I would assume she's close to that age on the actual show, but we've only seen her celebrate one of her birthdays (excluding the one in the Wishverse).**_

 _ **Also, just in case you weren't aware, the**_ **TWENTY-NINE YEARS AGO, TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO,** _ **etc.**_ _ **means that time before the day Emma was wished into this universe (i.e. the memories of the day Emma was born, and when Emma was four).**_

 _ **And, before you say it, yes, I don't trust the Blue Fairy at all in the show (I think she's shady af, actually), but I thought this would be a good way to tie her into the story. She's also meant to be a hero in this story, and I have plans for us to see her again.**_

 _ **I hope you guys are looking forward to the next chapter. We may be seeing a certain dashing rapscallion… maybe…**_


	3. The Man with the Piercing Eyes

**CHAPTER THREE: THE MAN WITH THE PIERCING EYES**

* * *

 **THIRTEEN YEARS AGO**

Emma held the hems of her dress in her clenched fists as she charged through the hallways of the castle. She was late, and her mother was going to kill her.

It wasn't her first ball, but it was the first ball where Emma would have to properly dance with other people in the room, instead of just her mother and father.

She had seen other people waltz, but she herself had never attempted it in front of anyone. She had fallen over several times when practicing in front of the mirror. Her mother probably would have scolded her for practicing in her horse-riding gear and not in a gown.

Emma hated dresses. She had never been a princess-y princess. She heard tales of princesses from other lands who would sing merrily through the forest, waiting for some danger to befall them so that the man of their dreams could come and save them.

Emma wasn't good with guys. She wasn't great with people as a whole. She pushes them away, both intentionally and unintentionally. She's had several questionable choice of suitors already, despite being just sixteen. There was Cinderella and Thomas' second-born, Gus, whose first encounter with Emma was quite awkward.

 _"Gus?"_ Emma had questioned after he introduced himself. _"_ _Your parents named you after their pet rat."_

It had come out more like a statement than a question. Emma will never forget the was Gus' body completely tensed up, his scowl making his face look smaller, almost rat-like.

 _"Mouse,"_ he told her sternly. _"_ _Their pet_ mouse _."_

He had stormed off then, and Emma, despite herself, had let out a little giggle.

There was also Philip and Aurora's son, Philip Jr., whom Emma immediately hated. He seemed to have this mind set where the girl was always in danger, and always needed her prince around. It was cute at first. He had followed her around the ballroom, moving people out of the way and holding doors open. Eventually, she tired of the unwanted attention he was attracting to both of them, and suggested that they go riding, to which he agreed.

She had entered the stable and went over to saddle up her horse, Leia, when Philip caught her arm. _"_ _What are you doing?"_

 _"I'm getting my horse_ , _"_ Emma responded, a little confused as to how he didn't understand how obvious that was.

 _"You… you can ride a horse?"_

Emma let out a shaky laugh, gently taking her arm back. " _Yes…"_ she answered slowly.

 _"But you're just a girl."_

Emma could almost hear her self-control snap. Her entire face fell almost instantly. Emma had never been the best at controlling her emotions, and was helpless to stop what happened next.

She forced an extremely fake smile and let out a sarcastic mixture of a sigh and laugh before stepping closer to him and into his personal space, noticing his breath hitch. She reached her hand up to cup the back of his head, and leaned closer. Just as his eyes fluttered shut, Emma forcefully grasped the hairs at the back of his neck with her fingers and brought her knee up so that she could pull his head down quickly and whack it off it. She perhaps did it a little too forcefully, as he fell unconscious on the floor then.

 _"I'll do you a favour and not tell everyone that a 'girl' just kicked your ass,"_ Emma taunted the senseless prince, glad that those fighting lessons with her father finally paid off.

She rolled her eyes and walked away in huff, leaving him there. She hasn't seen Philip, or his parents, since.

And now, here she was, with her overly-extravagant red gown flowing behind her as the sound of her heels hitting the marble floors echoed throughout the large, ornate hallways.

She reached the insanely large doors to the ballroom and pushed them open, stepping inside. She started smiling at a sight that she had seen several times before.

Her mother and father had clearly grown tired of waiting for her, and had begun dancing with each other. They were lost in their own special world. They hadn't even heard Emma opening the ballroom doors. Her parents looked at each other with such love, with such compassion. Emma heart began to flutter when she thought about someone looking at _her_ like that in the future.

She pushed those thoughts aside and approached her parents. "Mind if I cut in?"

They were instantly pulled from their world by their daughter's sweet voice. "Emma!" they exclaimed together.

"We've been waiting for ages," her mother said with a scowl.

"Well, here I am."

"At least she remembered to wear a dress this time, Snow," David offered encouragingly.

"I suppose it's a start," Snow agreed reluctantly, stepping to the side to give the two space

Snow nodded to the orchestra and they began to play a slow tune. Her father held out his right hand, and indicated for her to the same. She reached out with her right hand, and mirroring his actions, they stepped in rhythm to the music.

"See?" Charming told her as he picked her up and spun her around. "You're a natural, just like your mother."

Emma rolled her eyes as he placed her back on the ground. His left hand joined with her right hand as his right hand rested on her hip and her left hand rested on his shoulder.

"And _you_ ," Emma pointed out. "Are the best teacher a daughter could hope for."

They continued to waltz for a little while longer before the ballroom began to fill with servants carrying trays of food.

"I think you've got it down," her father remarked, smiling proudly.

Emma let out a small laugh. "I think so too."

* * *

 **THREE MONTHS AGO**

The ballroom filled up quickly.

Emma could hardly recognize anyone from her perch on her throne. Sure, there were the usual guests, like Red and several dwarves and fairies, but everyone else were strangers to her.

The numbers of people attending the balls seemed to be diminishing each time they held one. Perhaps it was due to her mother's obsession with holding them. She did know why some people weren't here though.

Cinderella was eight months pregnant with her third child, and Thomas had decided to stay with her in their castle as she was unable to attend. Eric of the Maritime Kingdom had attended every year, hoping that his beloved Ariel would show up at one of them, but he seemed to be absent this year, for whatever reason. Sir Maurice had grown too old to attend their balls anymore. The loss of his wife, Colette, and his daughter, Belle, had been far too much for him to bear. Philip and Aurora hadn't attended a ball since Emma's incident with their son all those years ago.

Emma gave up on naming anyone else, and noticed a hand being held out to her. She looked up at her father, who smiled, causing the wrinkles by his eyes to deepen further, showing his age.

Emma loved her parents. She had no idea what she would do without them. She didn't even want to think about a life without the two of them. Sometimes she would have strange dreams, where she was this "Savior" that she had been told that she had been destined to become. But she didn't like to think about them too much either. So, she took her father's extended hand, and he led her from her throne to the floor.

They began the slow waltz, and Emma couldn't help but reminisce about the first time they practiced dancing all those years ago. Emma was doing wonderfully, until she tripped slightly while swaying in front of her father. She cringed slightly, looking around hoping no one noticed. She was glad to discover that no eyes were on her, but her stomach dropped when she turned to see her father's cheeky smile plastered on his face.

"Never speak of it," she told him sternly, smiling slightly.

"I wouldn't dream of it, my little princess," he responded, that cheeky smile still on his face.

She secretly loved it when he called her that, but she feigned anger at his use of the words. She had the feeling that he knew that she didn't actually hate him calling her that, but put up with her show nonetheless.

The music began to change into a style Emma didn't recognize and she stepped away from her father, giving them both room to bow to each other.

"Until next time, princess," he joked.

She rolled her eyes and turned her head. Her breath hitched as her eyes connected with Gus, Cinderella and Thomas' son, who quickly looked away from her.

She moaned internally as she recalled their first encounter. He had been so angry with her use of _rat_. Clearly, she had struck a nerve. She was surprised to see him here, considering. He must have felt the need to come in his parents' stead.

Not wanting to open _that_ can of worms for the next… ever… she turned on her heel and began to walk towards the balcony, where she'd be away from everyone for a moment.

She always loved this balcony. It was like her own personal balcony. It gave her the most gorgeous views of the Enchanted Forest, which stretched out much further than her eyes could see.

The wind was soft. Not soft enough to be unnoticeable, but soft enough that she didn't mind. It caused the several strands of hair hanging out of the very princess-y bun on top of her head to blow gently back towards the balcony door. Her red dress began to flow behind her as well. It was moments like these that Emma was completely overcome with emotion.

She closed her eyes and held her right hand up, remembering her lesson with Gold the other day. Holding his cane in his left hand, he handed her a dreamcatcher, which he had just waved over her mother. Her parents had decided to come watch her lesson, and Gold had been teaching her about dreamcatchers and memories. Each of the strings were glowing, and the empty spaces between the strings were shining different shades of yellow, creating the illusion of a sun made of stained glass.

 _"What are they?"_ Snow had questioned, confused as to why he had waved such an object over her.

 _"Memories_ , _"_ he responded. _"Now, Emma, you show us how to decipher them."_

 _"How?"_ she asked curiously. _"It's just a jumble."_

 _"Will it_ , _"_ he instructed. _"Will it, and we shall all see the power you hold."_

Emma had taken the dreamcatcher reluctantly, and held it before her. She stared at the dreamcatcher for a while, doing her best to will it to do as she pleased. For a moment, it seemed as though she could see something moving within the dreamcatcher, but it disappeared no sooner than it had appeared.

She shook her head. _"I can't."_

 _"Yes,"_ he told her sternly. _"You can."_

Somehow, his motivation boosted her confidence. She thought of her parents. She wanted to show them what she could do. She wanted to make them proud. She wanted them to be truly happy to see her as queen.

Her mother's memories began to flash through the strings of the dreamcatcher. Gold smiled softly as her mother let out a small laugh.

 _"Wow,"_ she uttered in astonishment. _"You really did that, Emma?"_

She had looked up at her then, reflecting the astonishment on her mother's face. " _Yeah… I guess I did…"_

She pulled away from more memories and returned her focus to her right hand, which was splayed out in front of her. Thinking of her parents, she began to wiggle her fingers. After a few moments, her hand began to glow, and small spark shot out from her index finger. It rose into the air and, right in front of her face, it burst into a thousand other sparks.

Emma had never actually seen fireworks. She had always wanted to, but they were quite hard to come across, even for royalty. The fact that she could create that for herself, for her family, amazed her.

She turned around and walked back into the ballroom, a proud smile on her face. There were a few people going up to give their thanks to the King and Queen. Emma began to make her way towards them, clinging to the walls in the hopes that she could jump out and surprise them. As she neared the slightly raised platform where her parents sat on ornate thrones, she looked down the ballroom and felt her breath hitch for the second time that night.

It was a man, clad in a beige outfit, obviously royalty. He strode towards the King and Queen with such confidence. His midnight black hair was bushed to side, keeping his hair out of his eyes. _His eyes_. Emma felt all of the oxygen leave her body. She was almost glad they never met hers. She didn't know how she'd handle those piercing, sea blue eyes bearing into her soul.

The man walked up to Snow and David, and mumbled words too quiet for Emma to hear before taking Snow's hand in his and placing a kiss on her knuckles, making her tilt her head in curiosity.

He nodded to the two of them, though David stared back at him in frustration. He turned then, and walked towards the door of the ballroom, disappearing between the dancers in the middle of the room.

 _Who the hell…?_ Emma thought to herself. Emma quickly composed herself and continued walking towards them, finally reaching her parents. She followed their gaze to where that mysterious man had left the room and voiced her thoughts. "Who was _that_?"

"I have no idea, sweetie," Snow answered. "No idea."

Emma shrugged her strange reaction off, secretly praying she'd never meet him again, though a part of her was hoping she would. She sat in the throne to the right of her parents and put on fake smiles for all the strangers who came up and introduced themselves.

Some twenty strangers later, someone that Snow immediately recognised approached them.

"Blue!" Snow exclaimed, standing to hug her friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I got your invitation," Blue explained. "I figured I'd come and check on you guys."

It was then that Snow noticed the group of three girls standing shyly behind Blue, one dressed in red, one dressed in green, and one dressed in blue.

"And who are these lovely girls?" Snow asked with a smile.

"These are three little fairies-in-training," Blue explained. "Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. They've been dying to meet you."

For some reason, Emma rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure what made her do it. It was almost as if she had heard those names before, but in a different context, and hearing the names now, in the context they were currently in, was absolutely ludicrous.

"Well, come close, little ones," Snow instructed. "And let me tell you a story."

The three little girls giggled to each other before kneeling down and huddling around Snow's feet. Snow began her tale—a tale that Emma herself had heard much too many times in her life—the story of how her mother and father met.

"…and it was then that David proposed to me," Snow told them, finally reaching Emma's favourite part of the story: the part where David proposed to Snow on the sands around Emma's favourite lake. "He gave me this ring, his mother's ring."

Snow held up her hand for the children to see. They frowned, but Snow didn't seem to notice. She pulled her hand down to look at it.

"It was the happiest—" She interrupted herself with a gasp. "Where's my ring?"

Snow looked to David with concern. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by one of the guards bursting through the ballroom doors, causing the entire room to fall eerily silent.

"Pirates!" he exclaimed, waving his hands about frantically. He noticed everyone's confusion, and composed himself accordingly, clearing his throat. "Your Majesties, pirates have broken into the vault."

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _ **Hey guys! Thank you for reading. I hope you're all enjoying the story. I know it seems like it's starting to turn into every Lieutenant Duckling fic ever, but just give it time. I think you'll like where I'm taking it. Things really get going after this chapter.**_

 _ **There's also going to be several flashbacks in most chapters to Emma's life with her parents in the Enchanted Forest that will relate to what's going on in the current chapter, similarly to what they do throughout the show.**_

 _ **Just to clarify,** "_ _italics"_ _ **are for dialogue that has taken place in the past (e.g.** "_ _Yes…"_ _ **), and**_ _italics_ _ **are for what a character is thinking (e.g.**_ _Who the hell…?_ _ **).**_

 _ **Anyway, I just thought I'd take a moment to thank everyone who's supported this story so far. I just got my Christmas holidays, so I finally have time to write ahead a bit more and get us through this hiatus. I'll see you next Tuesday for the next chapter. Here's a title tease, which I'll start including in every chapter from now on.**_

 _ **Title Spoiler: **_**CHAPTER FOUR – THE CAPTAIN OF THE JOLLY ROGER**


	4. The Captain of the Jolly Roger

**CHAPTER FOUR – THE CAPTAIN OF THE JOLLY ROGER**

* * *

 **THREE MONTHS AGO**

No one in the ballroom dared to speak. The only sound to be heard was the slight jingle of the glass teardrops of the replaced grand chandelier above the thrones hitting off each other while swaying in the wind. Moments later, Snow stood and approached the soldier.

"What do mean pirates broke into our vault?" Snow questioned impatiently.

Emma and David stood also, walking after her. "I think he was pretty clear, mom."

"How did this happen?" Snow asked, ignoring Emma.

"They ambushed us," the soldier explained. "There were several of them, eight maybe. Only two of us were on duty at the time. They easily overpowered us."

"Can you remember anything about them?" David asked.

The soldier was silent for a moment, squinting slightly as if scrolling through his memories. "Uh…" His eyes snapped wide open. "Oh, yes! While I was on the floor, before I blacked out, I could see another one join the eight that were already in the vault. I believe he was wearing some beige royal outfit."

Emma couldn't believe it. The man who had taken her breath away a little while ago was a pirate. A pirate! How could she be so stupid? She should have known something was wrong with him. From what the soldier was saying, he seemed to be the leader of the other eight pirates.

"He seemed to be masquerading as royalty," the soldier continued.

"Mom," Emma realised, looking towards her mother. "The man in the beige outfit who approached you kissed your hand, didn't he? You know, the hand with your ring on one of the fingers?"

Snow looked down to her hand, recalling the event. "No…"

"Snow," Charming tried encouragingly. "We'll find it."

Snow looked to David and nodded reluctantly. She looked towards her hand once more. That emerald ring belonged to Emma's grandmother. She had never met her, as she had been killed by some of the Queen's knights before she was born, but she knew how much she meant to her parents. Especially her ring. That ring was a symbol of her parents' undying love for one another. Emma knew now that she would do everything in her power to get this ring back.

"Come," Snow instructed, indicating to Emma, David, and other soldiers in the room. "We must examine the vault for clues left by these pirates. We _need_ to get that ring back."

Emma followed her mother, father, and five other knights out of the ballroom and through the hallways of the palace. She duly noted the balcony door on the way to vault that stood wide open. Perhaps the pirates had crept into the castle that way, and used it again to escape.

They reached the heavy golden door to the vault, which stood wide open. Emma hadn't been in the vault in a long, long time. Even Snow and David did their best to avoid coming in here for fear of letting any unwanted guests in. The vault was strictly off limits at all times. The real question Emma was asking herself was how the hell _pirates_ were able to get through these doors. No one could.

Snow must have been asking herself the same question. "How on earth were pirates able to get past these doors?"

It was then that Emma seemingly answered her and Snow's question. She walked up to the door and felt a strange buzz emanating from the door. Magic.

"Magic," Emma stated, putting her hand up to rest on the solid gold door. Strange vibrations began to fill her body at the touch.

"Pardon, dear?" Snow asked, turning to her. Emma tried to ignore the slight hint of fear in her tone.

"The pirates used magic to get in here. The door is absolutely abuzz with it."

She then snapped her hand back when the vibrations became too much.

"You okay, Emma?" her father questioned worriedly, reaching for her hand.

"Yeah, just…" Emma began. "…powerful stuff."

She let her father take her hand, and they walked into the vault. It wasn't huge, the vault, but it was made of pure gold. Her father had told her that King Midas had used his curse to the walls in the room to gold for King George, Emma's grandfather, who had inhabited the palace before the Charmings. It was part of the reward for defeating the dragon that threatened his kingdom.

They all spread out as much as they could to search the relatively small vault. From what Emma could see, a lot of gold and jewels were missing. There were gold pieces that Emma assumed were once part of a stack scattered all over the floor. It's probably a miracle that she did spot something shining between two of the many coins.

She approached the source of the light, and let out a gasp of relief when she realised it was light from the torches on the wall reflecting off of a ring. Everyone turned to her and looked towards the cause of her cry, but found that they were not looking at Snow's gold, emerald-embedded engagement ring. Instead, they were looking at a thick, silver ring with a dark red stone embedded in it and strange, floral-like designs carved into the sides

"Emma?" her mother asked.

"Sorry," Emma apologized innocently. "I thought it was your ring."

"Where did it come from?" one of the soldiers asked. He was different to the other soldiers. Well, his accent was, anyway.

"I've never seen it before," Emma noted, studying the ring carefully as her father took it from her. "One of the pirates must have dropped it while they were in here."

"If it did belong to them," her mother suggested. "Then perhaps we could use it to reason with the pirates."

"It's just a ring," David noted. "I'm sure it means nothing to them."

"Maybe that's exactly what the pirates are thinking of the ring they just stole," her mother pointed out.

David shrugged and smiled a little. "Fair enough."

Emma's head snapped up from the ring. "I have an idea."

"What's that, Emma?" Snow asked as her daughter took the ring back from David.

"The pirates used magic to steal from us," Emma pointed out, examining the ring. "I think it's only fair we use magic to find _them_."

"What?" Snow and David asked together. "How?"

Emma smiled. "Gold."

* * *

 **TWO YEARS AGO**

Another week, another ball.

It was a saying that Emma had adapted, as her mother really enjoyed holding a ball in Emma's honor whenever she could. When Emma asked her about it, Snow had told her that she was trying to make up for all the years she lost as a princess when on the run from the Evil Queen, and didn't want her daughter to lose out either.

And this week was no different. Honestly, Emma was running out of dresses. Not that she minded. She wasn't a big fan of the frilly, pompous gowns her mother insisted she wear.

Nothing was different about this week. Nothing at all. But it resulted in Emma's life being completely turned on its head, and it all started at the ball.

There was nothing particularly special about the ball itself. All the usual suspects were there, including Emma, Snow, David, Ruby, Happy (who had changed his name from Grumpy after being reunited with his love, Nova), and Eric, among others.

Emma was sitting in her usual spot; her throne to the right of her mother's and father's. She was examining the cluster of people below. She had already mingled enough that night. Looking into the crowd, Emma could see people dancing, people talking, and people eating, but she also caught sight of something else, causing her to stand up and walk forward a little.

As she neared that something else, she realised it was one of the Evil Queen's black knights, who was moving through the attendees with a crossbow in one hand.

Without really thinking, Emma pointed a finger and yelled, "Stop!"

Everyone looked towards her before turning to look at who she was pointing at. What happened next happened so fast that Emma isn't too sure what did happen. From what she could gather from the aftermath, the knight had stopped in his tracks and aimed his crossbow at her. One of the palace guards had come up behind him and grabbed the crossbow, attempting to put off his aim, but that only resulted in the target being changed to the large chandelier above Emma and her parents. Releasing the trigger, the knight let the arrow fly towards the chandelier, its metal easily cutting through the soft chain the chandelier hung from, causing it to fall to the floor, and onto Emma and her parents.

Overwhelmed with the need to protect her parents, Emma held up her hands above her head, believing she had the power to stop it. To her (and everyone else in the room's) surprise, the chandelier was captured by a white barrier that came from Emma's now-glowing hands, stopping the chandelier in mid-air.

She couldn't stop looking between her hands and the chandelier, which stayed suspended in the air. She felt everyone's eyes on her. Her body refused to move until her father's hands gently closed around her wrists, lowering her hands and the chandelier with it, placing it on the ground softly.

Emma was finding it extremely difficult to form words. She looked into her father's eyes, and saw something she didn't think she'd ever seen before – fear. It was present in her mother's gleaming eyes too, only she had her mouth gaping open.

Eventually, Emma found herself able to say something, albeit extremely slowly and fearful. "What…? What was that?"

"That…" Snow managed with a small smile. "…was magic."

* * *

 **THREE MONTHS AGO**

Gold's room in the castle was a little too excessive, if you asked Emma. It was one of the largest rooms in the castle. It held a large, four-poster bed, several mirrors, two balconies, and a grand chandelier. It also had a connecting door to the so-called 'Magic Room', which is wear Emma practices with Gold. Even more bizarre was the bell that he had put over the door, so that, whenever the door was opened, it would ring slightly, alerting Gold of visitors.

"Ah," Gold uttered from his chair. "What can I do for you, Princess?"

He stood and approached her. She held out the ring. "Pirates have broken into the vault." Emma ignored the way he tensed up slightly. "They stole my mother's ring. I remember you told me of a spell that can be used to locate the current owner of a certain object. Well, I believe the pirates left this behind. I was hoping I could use it to find them."

Gold considered it for a moment. "Alright then. Give me the ring, and I'll give it to your father to lead his knights after them."

She took it back before he could take it. "No."

"No?"

"My dad… he's not able. He says he is, but I don't know if he's up for it."

"So… what is it you want from me?"

"I was hoping you could enchant the ring, and _I_ could go find them, without telling my parents that I'm leaving."

Gold frowned. "Are you certain that's a good idea?"

"Nope. But I've always wanted to go venture into the Enchanted Forest."

"Alright, let me see it."

Gold took the ring from Emma and held it out in the palm of his hand. He flicked it up in the air, and caught it in his hand once again as it fell. This time, however, the ring was glowing.

"There," he giggled. "The ring is now enchanted. The closer you get to the pirates, the brighter it will glow."

Emma reached for it, but he held it out of her reach. "Give it to me."

"It's not something for nothing, Princess."

Emma tilted her head. "What do you want?"

"You have to bring me with you."

Emma was taken aback. "What?"

"Your magic isn't fully under control. Let me come with you, just in case these pirates prove too much of a challenge."

Emma glared at him for a moment. She was almost certain there was something else behind his reasoning for following her, but Emma couldn't care about that right now. She needed to get that ring back, no matter the cost. "Alright."

Gold grinned, showing some of his golden teeth, and held his hand out. "So we have a deal?"

Emma took his hand and shook it. "Deal."

"Excellent."

Gold held the ring out to her once more and Emma took it. She placed it on the ring finger of her right hand and turned to leave the room.

"Are you ready?" Emma asked as she opened the door to the hallway.

Gold opened one of the wardrobes while out of her line of sight and pulled out an ornate cane to replace the one he had been using since Emma had arrived. He placed it next to the large jar containing someone's left hand, and walked back over to Emma.

His eyes darkened as he smiled. "I believe so."

* * *

 **TWO YEARS AGO**

"What's this about?" Emma asked her mother and father, who were being oddly cryptic as they led her to the ballroom.

They stopped outside the door, and looked back at her. Both of them were holding on of Emma's hands. They had been irritatingly twitchy since the ball last week, and, though Emma hadn't had another magic incident since then, she could still tell that they were worried about her.

"Well…" her father began.

"It's just that…" her mother continued. "You know, last week…"

Emma rolled her eyes and sighed. "Out with it, guys."

Snow and David exchanged a look before sighing. "We got someone who may be able to help you with your magic," Snow told her.

Emma took her hands back. "What?"

"We put out a request for anyone who may be interested in being a magic instructor, and this guy was one of the first to sign up."

"Can we trust him?" Emma asked.

"We believe so," Charming told her. "He seems like a very nice man. He lost his son years ago, and was led down a dark path, but now he's looking to do some good."

Emma didn't respond for a moment. She just looked at the door to the ballroom. There was a very high chance that she would walk in there and never come out again, but her parents seemed to trust this instructor, and that was enough for her.

Emma let out a sigh of resignation. "Alright."

Snow squealed and clapped her hands. "Great!"

She and David pushed the doors open and led Emma into the room. There, in the centre of the ballroom, stood the most peculiar man Emma had ever seen. He wasn't too tall, but there seemed to be something wrong with his foot, as he walked towards them with a limp and a cane. His long brown hair had several grey streaks running through it, and was parted down the middle. He was wearing grey rags and didn't seem to be carrying any weapons.

"Emma," her mother said. "I would like you to meet Mr. Gold."

"Mr. Gold?"

"That's me, Princess," he told her as he reached them, taking Emma's hand in his and placing a kiss to it.

"Do you have a first name?"

Gold laughed softly. "Now that's an interesting question. I'm afraid it's been so long since anyone has called me by my first name that I seem to have forgotten."

Emma smiled a little. There was a part of her that was screaming at her not to trust him, but she couldn't help but feel like she could.

"Now then," he announced. "Shall we see how powerful you are, Princess?"

* * *

 **TWO MONTHS AGO**

It may have taken a week or so, but Emma and Gold now found themselves crouched down behind the crates at the Misthaven Docks as to avoid detection. Emma held up the ring once more and was pleased when it began to shine brightly as she moved it towards one of the ships docked in the port.

The ship looked like navy ship. It was painted white, black, brown, blue, and yellow. The ship's cream sails blew in the wind. Emma felt a strange sense of familiarity while looking at the ship, which she shrugged off. Emma could also tell that the wood of the boat was enchanted with a special kind of magic.

She stood up to walk over to the ship, but Gold caught her arm and pulled her back down. "What are you doing?"

Emma frowned. "I'm going over to get my parents' ring back. Isn't it obvious?"

"You can't walk onto a pirate ship looking like _that_. They'll know exactly who you are, _Princess_."

Emma looked down, and realized she was wearing a cream dress and a white, frilly robe that easily identified her as royalty. Her hair was braided over her shoulder and a flower crown was placed on her head.

An idea popped into Emma's head. "I can use magic."

"What?"

"I've seen you use magic to change your clothes before. You just need to tell me how to it."

"That spell takes too much time to learn."

"I've already proved that I'm one of the most powerful students you've ever had," Emma argued. "At least let me try."

Gold sighed. "Very well. Like with most magic, you need to use your emotions. It's not an intellectual endeavour. Focus on what you're wearing now, and will it to change into whatever you desire."

Emma nodded and waved her hands around her. For a moment, nothing happened, and Gold sighed in frustration. Then, a white mist encircled Emma and, when it disappeared, she was no longer dressed as royalty. Her long royal dress was gone, and been replaced with a white blouse, a short blue leather coat, dirty brown gloves, tight leather pants, and knee-height leather boots. Her previously braided blonde hair was now tied back into a ponytail on top of her head, with part of her fringe hanging out of the way of her eyes. She also now had twin blades tied to either side of the belt at her hip.

Emma studied herself for a moment before looking back a Gold. "Better?"

Gold was still in shock, but he quickly snapped out of it. "Uh… yes. Much better. I would've gone leather as well."

"Alright," Emma agreed. "Here's the plan: you wait here. I'll go on board and speak to the pirates, offer them their ring for mine. If all goes well, I'll give you a thumbs-up for you to return to the castle and tell my parents that I'm okay. If things don't go smoothly, I'll call for you to come aboard and help." Gold opened his mouth to interject, but Emma stopped him by holding her hand out. "Deal?"

Gold considered it for a moment before sighing in resignation. "Deal." Emma got up from her hiding place before Gold stopped her once more. "Oh, and Princess?"

"Yes?"

"It might be best if you come up with some sort of alias. It would be best to not let the pirates know that you're a member of the royal family."

Emma nodded. "Good call."

Emma continued to walk along the wooden boardwalk to reach the ship. Once she had, she boarded, and saw a man with messy black hair standing on the other side of the boat. He was leaning on the side of the boat with his two arms and staring contemplatively at the sea.

Emma cleared her throat and caused the man to turn to face her quickly, grabbing at his sword. Emma opened her mouth to speak, and met the pirate's piercing blue eyes.

 _Oh, crap._

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _**Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I think this was the longest chapter yet. I also hope you guys had a great Christmas with your families, if you celebrate Christmas.**_

 _ **We're gonna be seeing a few interactions between Emma and Hook in the next chapter, though something tells me they won't get along too well to begin with. Killian's past will also be explored in the coming chapters. That Mr. Gold guy also seems quite familiar, right...?**_

 _ **On a different note, have you guys seen "The Dust Storm" (Colin's new movie)? If not, you should watch it as soon as possible. It's so amazing! I can't stop listening to the soundtrack. Although, to be honest, I'm kind of surprised it was even allowed to be released, what with Colin's too-cute-for-words facial expressions and... you know... THAT scene. Yes, you know which one I'm talking about. (Honestly, we could all just stare at his back muscles for days...)**_

 _ **Anyway, the next chapter should be up sometime next week. The past few days have been kind of hectic, so I'm not as ahead in the story as I would like to be.**_

 _ **Title Spoiler: **_**CHAPTER FIVE – CAPTAIN SWAN AND HER SCOUNDRELS**

 **(also, yes, Emma's going to go by Captain Swan #sorrynotsorry...)**


	5. Captain Swan and Her Scoundrels

**CHAPTER FIVE – CAPTAIN SWAN AND HER SCOUNDRELS**

* * *

 **TWO MONTHS AGO**

 _Oh, crap._

Emma gazed into the same blue eyes she almost got lost in the night of the ball. They shone brightly in the morning sun. Emma begged her body to move her eyes away from his, eventually willing them to stare at the sea, which reminded her of the lake of swans outside her castle. However, the colour of the sea immediately brought her eyes back to his. The similarities between the two shades were shocking. They were gleaming as well, almost as if he had been crying, or close to crying.

It appeared as though he couldn't stop staring into hers either. There was something about his face and eyes that filled Emma with a sense of familiarity, though Emma wasn't sure why. He eventually tore his gaze away from Emma's eyes and down to her clothes, granting Emma the ability to the same.

He was fairly tall, perhaps a little taller than Emma. He wore a His black vest was covered by a long black leather jacket. Then, there was the issue of his chest hair. Honestly, his vest did little to cover any of it up, making Emma wonder why bother wearing it in the first place. His right hand was clutching the rapier tied to his waist, while his left hand seemed to be covered with a brace. There was just something about him that made Emma want to trust him, which terrified her. She couldn't take that chance.

Eventually, he looked back up to her eyes, his blue ones having darkened slightly, and broke the silence. "Who the bloody hell are you?"

Emma's mind snapped back into action. Remembering what she needed to do, she began to stroll onto the deck. "It doesn't matter. I'm a Captain and I believe we can help each other."

The man stared curiously at her. "The only Captain permitted on the Jolly Roger is yours truly, so I suggest you leave before things get rough."

 _The Jolly Roger._ Emma smiled a little at that. "What's wrong, Captain? Don't think you could handle it?"

The man's tongue ran over his lips. "I'm afraid _you_ may be the one unable to handle it. You should to go. Now."

That confused Emma for a moment. Surely any pirate worth his salt would do anything to protect his ship from a possible enemy, like Emma, so why would he allow her to walk free instead of fighting her? _Does he trust me?_

Emma reached into her pocket, noticing how he stiffened slightly and gripped his weapon harder. "Would you let me stay for this?"

Emma pulled out the silver ring that she had found in the vault and dangled it from the index finger of her right hand. She noted that it had stopped glowing. She turned back to the Captain of the Jolly Roger, and was surprised to find relief in his eyes. The ring must have been precious to him if he was this relieved to see it.

He looked at her and spoke, a low growl in his tone that surprised Emma. "Where did you get that?"

Emma smiled smugly. "That doesn't matter. I'd be happy to give it back to you, so long as you're willing to make a deal with me."

At her mention of the word "deal", he drew his sword and began snarling. "No chance, love. Hand the ring over now."

"Sorry, that's not how this works."

That's all it took for him to reach behind his back and under his coat to pull out a strange metal object, attaching it to his brace with a clean 'clink'.

"Is that…a hook?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, as in Captain Hook?"

Emma remembered her parents speaking about a fearsome centuries-old pirate who travelled through several realms in his quest for revenge on Rumplestiltskin. Emma wondered if he knew about what happened to the Dark One twenty-eight years ago.

"That moniker has been bestowed onto me by others. I prefer Killian Jones."

It took Emma a moment to realize that he was advancing towards her, so she began to circle around the central mast of the ship with Hook close on her trail.

Emma sighed loudly. "Alright then. Guess things have to get rough."

She put the ring back into the pouch on her belt, and drew the twin blades on either side of her waist with her opposing hands, crossing her arms in the process, and prepared her usual fighting stance. He stopped for a moment, his eyes squinting in confusion. He scoffed as he smiled slightly. "Ooh, you're a tough lass, aren't you?" Emma rolled her eyes.

"Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger, love," was the last thing Emma heard him say before the loud 'clang' of their blades off each other.

* * *

 **TEN YEARS AGO**

"Always fight fair."

Emma had always taken to things quite easily. Sword-fighting, archery, even knitting. (She also had a knack for making dreamcatchers in her spare time. She's not really sure where _that_ came from...)

That was the lesson that her father had passed onto Emma when he was teaching her to battle. Her sword-fighting skills were beyond ordinary, and so it shouldn't have been a surprise when she easily bested her father after just a week of training with her twin blades. And yet, there they were.

It was the second time a woman had scarred him, her father had told her afterwards.

Emma had gotten a little _too_ excited while fighting her father. Their blades clinked and clanked off each other, with Emma trying ferociously hard to prove herself to her father and the observing knights. Emma had targeted his side, bringing her blades down heavily enough to bounce of David's. Emma took advantage of the opportunity to target his other side, with her blades bouncing off his once more. She continued this loop until she knew that David was beginning to adapt to her strategy. She hit his side but, instead of going for his other side with both her blades, which David did, she went for his neck with the one in her right hand. When he had become aware of what she was trying, David had moved forward a little and attempted to duck under the blade

And now, David was clutching his bleeding jaw with a bloodied hand, while Emma was repeating "I'm sorry" over and over again, reaching for his face with a cloth and covering his mouth in the process.

"I didn't mean to, Dad, I promise," Emma told him with as much conviction as she could manage through the tears forming in her eyes.

"Emma—" his muffled voice came from behind the cloth.

"I just… I got really into it."

"Emma, it's—"

"Oh, god, Mom's gonna kill me, isn't she?"

"Sweetie, if you would just—"

"And you've got an important meeting with Thomas tomorrow. And—"

"Emma!"

Her father's bellowing cry was finally enough to shut Emma up. His voice echoed around the training yard as the spectating soldiers looked to each other in astonishment.

"Y-yeah?"

Her father lowered the blood-stained cloth, shocking Emma with a soft smile on his face. "It's just a scratch. I'm sure I'll live."

Emma let out a sigh of relief, and brushed a few stray tears off her cheeks with the swipe of her sleeve. "Sorry, I just… I panicked."

"That's fine, Emma," her father told her. "But… maybe next time, take it easy. God knows the kind of damage _you_ could cause in a fight."

Emma looked to the ground and blushed at the compliment. "Maybe I've had enough for one day?"

Her father chuckled and cocked his head. "I think so."

* * *

 **TWO MONTHS AGO**

They both danced around the ship for what felt like ages. They were both evenly matched. The blade in Emma's right hand kept meeting his hook, which proved a lot sturdier than Emma had expected, while the blade in her left was engaging battle with Hook's main blade. Emma didn't want to hurt him because he was the only one who could lead her to her ring, and it seemed he didn't want to hurt her… much.

"Usually I like to know who I'm fighting _before_ I start fighting them," Hook told her as he leaned into the empty space between the crossed swords.

"Little late for that," she told him, leaning forward to match his cockiness.

She kicked him in the chest and he stumbled back onto the wooden barrier protecting the crew from falling off the ship. She came at him again, but he continued to hold her off with his blade and hook.

"Maybe," he managed with her blade nearing his neck. "But everyone has a name, love."

She hadn't really thought that far. She looked off the right, scouring her mind for an appropriate name, and unintentionally caught sight of the sea below them.

Her mind was filled with memories of the lake beside her parent's palace, which held the same gleaming water as the sea. She could almost picture the swans floating below her, extending their wings gracefully as they prepared for battle.

"Swan…" she whispered, still unsure.

Sensing her distractedness and uncertainty, Hook thrust forward with the linked blades between them, forcing them both back onto the middle of the deck.

"What was that?" he questioned, showing off by flipping his sword in an anti-clockwise circle with his good hand.

"Swan," she told him, much more certain. "Captain Swan."

They began trailing each other around the central mast once again.

"Swan, eh? Don't think I've heard of you before."

"You wouldn't have. I'm not… from around here." She attempted to gesture with her hands, but she found that quite difficult, as she was holding two blades.

"Hmph..."

"What do you mean 'hmph'?"

He smiled and ran a tongue over his bottom lip. "Nothing, Swan. Nothing at all."

Before she could question him further, he pounced on her, knocking one of her swords out of her hand, and causing her to fall to the hard, wooden floor. She held her remaining sword out to stop him from coming further, but he caught it in the space captured by his hook and, smiling a wicked smirk, he brought his hook down, down, down…

"Normally, I'd prefer to do other more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back. With my life on the line, you've left me no choice. A bit of advice: when I jab you with my sword, you'll feel it. You might want to quit."

"I'm not really the quitting type…"

He sighed loudly. "Aye, I noticed."

"Hook," she told him sternly. "You talk too much."

Emma chose to play dirty, despite her father's lesson of "always fight fair". She brought her free knee up to that oh-so-sensitive part between his legs as quickly and painfully as she could, causing him to stumble back a little. With a little flick of her sword, she knocked his out of good hand and, without him being able to notice, she flicked her hand, using her magic to make his hook to disappear.

He brought the hook up to block her blade, only to discover it was gone. "What the—"

He didn't get to finish, as Emma brought her sword to his neck and pushed him up against the wall of one of the cabins, perhaps the Captain's Quarters. They were extremely close now— _too_ close, Emma would argue—and she couldn't help the way her eyes flickered down to his lips for a moment. Noticing her, he did the same, which snapped her out of it.

"Now will you hear me out?" she asked impatiently.

He looked down at his brace and back up at her. "That depends. Where's my hook?"

She turned her head to gaze at the ships rigging. There, hanging from a bunch of ropes, was Hook's namesake.

"How the devil did it get up there?"

She rolled her eyes. "Does it really matter? You can have it back now."

"Alright, Swan, I'll hear you out."

He attempted to disguise the sincerity in his voice, but Emma could still detect it, and she backed off, allowing him to reach up and grab his hook, attaching it once again. He leant against the central mast and crossed his arms and legs.

"Well? You have my undivided attention."

Emma stared at him curiously before telling him the story she'd been coming up with. "I hear you broke into the King and Queen's palace a little while ago."

"I believe I did. What of it?"

"You stole a ring."

"I… This is about a _ring_?"

Emma squinted at him in bewilderment. "I'm sorry, weren't we just fighting over this?"

She pulled his ring out once again, which caused him to open his mouth before closing it again.

"What did the ring look like?" he asked finally.

"Uh… it was silver. It had a green jewel embedded in the front of it…"

Hook raised his eyebrow and smiled a little. "You mean the ring I stole from the Queen? Her _engagement_ ring?"

"That's the one."

"So why are you here looking for it?"

"The King and Queen. They… uh… tasked me with retrieving it… for them."

He stared at her in disbelief. "Right… but why are you _here_ looking for it?"

"You stole it, right?"

"Aye, but I don't have it anymore."

Emma's face dropped, and a feeling of dread simmered in her stomach. "What?"

"I sold it."

"You… _what_?!"

"That's why I stole it in the first place. Someone was offering… a very, very valuable reward for it."

"Who did you sell it to?"

"Some traders from Oz who live on an island miles away."

Her voice was just a disbelieving whisper at this point. "Miles away?"

"My crew and I just got back a few hours before you arrived."

Emma couldn't believe this. She promised herself and her parents (in the note she left them) that she would bring them back their ring. This was the first time she had ever been this far away from home on her own. She needed to show her parents that it was okay to let her out without guards, which they had never been too keen on doing. She had to get this ring, and her decision to do whatever it takes to get it made an idea pop into her head.

"Alright, Captain," she attempted calmly. "Let's make a deal." She pulled out his ring once more. "I saw how relieved you were to see this ring, and my guess is you were extremely worried that you had lost it forever. So, you get me my—the Queen's—ring back, you get your ring back, and we never have to see each other again."

That seemed fair, if you asked Emma. He stared at her for a moment. Emma could tell that he desperately wanted the ring back. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I suppose I could—"

Her eyes widened as she smiled brightly. "Great! Well I was thinking—"

"Captain!" a loud voice bellowed.

Emma turned to find eight men boarding the ship, dressed _exactly_ how one would imagine pirates dress.

"Um, who are they?"

"Ah, Swan. These are my crew. Smee, Plank, Jim, Sparrow, Bucky, Walker, Monty, and McGee." He indicated to each of them with his hook.

A wave of realization washed over Emma's face. _"…I could see another one join the eight that were already in the vault,"_ the soldier's words echoed through Emma. This dastardly band of scoundrels before her had helped steal her parents' ring, and tons of gold.

"Men, this is the lady Swan. She'll be coming with us on a voyage to recover her lost ring."

Many of the men raised an eyebrow at his words, obviously a trait they had inherited from their Captain.

"Are you… certain about this, Captain?" the man named Smee questioned.

Hook glared at the small, rat-like man and scowled. "Aye…" he told him slowly and clearly. "Now, the next man to question my certainty can go swimming amongst the sharks. Clear?"

The man named Smee blushed a deep shade of red in embarrassment, and nodded to the other men, indicating for them to disperse, which they all did. Someone lifted the anchor, another went up to the crew's nest (presumably the lookout), and Hook went up to the helm and turned the ship towards the horizon. After a few moments, the ship began to float further from the port.

Emma went up the steps and looked over the side of the ship, and could make out Gold still crouched behind those boxes. He caught her eye and she nodded to him, giving him the thumbs-up signal. He smiled a little in return and nodded. Emma turned away, only for her whole body to fall onto Hook, who had come over to investigate.

Feeling the blush forming on her face, she shoved him away softly and spoke quickly. "Sorry… I, uh, didn't see you there."

Hook was smiling his wicked smirk with his tongue poking the inside of his cheek. "That's quite alright, Swan, but next time, don't stand on ceremony."

Emma smiled a fake smile and cocked her head at that. "Did you need something?"

She looked at the flask that he had just pulled out of his coat to take a sip of. "Just wondering how you were doing."

She tilted her head, confused for a moment. She shook her head and looked back up at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

He extended his rum flask to her. "Perhaps I would."

It was with those words, a glance down at the flask, and another lengthy gaze into his eyes that she knew that it was going to be a _long_ trip.

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes:_** _**Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Also, Happy New Year! Let's agree to never, ever talk about 201**_ _ **6 ever again!**_

 _ **I'm also kinda sorry that this chapter just reeks of parallels to Snowing. (Well, I'm not really…) The quest for Snow's ring is also kinda like the season three finale, right? You know, where Hook and Emma went on a huge adventure to get that very same ring? Oh, I LIVE for those kinds of subtle references.**_

 _ **Anyway, I've got a little treat next week instead of a new chapter, so the next chapter should be up in two weeks or so.**_

 _ **Title Spoiler:**_ **CHAPTER SIX – CONFESSIONS OF A TWO-HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD PIRATE**


	6. Confessions of a 200-Year-Old Pirate

**CHAPTER SIX – CONFESSIONS OF A TWO-HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD PIRATE**

* * *

 **TWO MONTHS AGO**

The crew were awfully nice, for pirates. None of them scared Emma, and Emma felt as though they wouldn't hurt her. When Emma tried to converse with them, she found it oddly easy.

Mr. Smee was Hook's first mate. Whenever Emma spied Hook on deck, Smee was never far behind, heeding Hook's every request. Whenever she saw him, he was wearing a ridiculous red hat. Smee had told her that, before joining Hook's crew, he was a criminal (and still is, in many ways) who would sell stolen goods on the black market.

Plank was the Jolly Roger's shipwright. It had been smooth sailing the week they had been sailing, and therefore, he hadn't much to do, and the last time Emma saw him, he was carrying several rum flasks up the crow's nest where Walker spent most his time. Walker was the lookout, and had to be up there at all times. They were brothers, Plank and Walker, and their oddly lively grey eyes and similarly curly brown hair were dead giveaways of this fact. They were two of the earliest to join Hook's crew, and let slip that they knew Hook when he was a part of the royal navy.

As far as he could tell, Jim was the ship's medic. He stayed below deck in the infirmary for the most part. Luckily, no one had gotten injured yet, so there wasn't much need for him. He, too, knew Hook when he was a part of navy, which he would only disclose after Emma told him that she already knew about Hook's involvement in the navy.

Sparrow would operate the canons when it was necessary. He was great friends with Bucky, the navigator, and she was told that they both met Hook and agreed to join him at the same time.

McGee and Monty spent most of their time below deck, McGee in particular. Monty was the quartermaster, and was charged with keeping all the rooms on the ship in order, including the Captain's Quarters. McGee was the ship's cook, so he was down in the incredibly small kitchen below deck. In the brief time Emma had known him, he had already become her favourite. She had been down there several times this week already. She'd go down once in the morning, in the afternoon (as it was quiet then), and again at night. She let the other pirates speak to him in the morning and at night, but Emma had him all to herself in the afternoon. He was most certainly oldest on the ship, and it was during the afternoon that he would tell Emma about all the adventure's he had been on, both with Hook and with others.

By the end of the week, she could easily engage conversation with them, and was often dragged into whatever they had been previously talking about before she walked by.

There was still, however, an enigma on board: Hook. He would try to talk to her every now and again when they had some peace and quiet, but the familiarity and easiness of their chats often frightened her, and she would find some excuse to get away from him.

She had excused herself from dinner, which she immediately regretted doing because, well, what kind of Captain _excuses_ themselves from a dinner table? She made her way down to her cabin on the lowest deck. She had swapped her blue leather jacket and light blouse out for a grey ragged sleeveless top.

Her mind was racing, her thoughts running wild. She'd been gone a whole three weeks. _Three weeks._ She was barely allowed out of the castle for a few _hours_ in the past, and even then, she was always with a chaperone. To try get her mind of it, she stood on one of the grated containers, and grabbed a metal bar above her, hauling herself up and down. Each time she'd begin to heave herself up, she'd think of home. The big ballroom, the ornate flooring and walls, the enormous columns, the balconies with gorgeous views of her kingdom, the yellow vehicle parked in front of her—

She stopped while she was still suspended in the air. _Yellow vehicle?_ She could see it in her mind's eye. It was bright yellow, like some of the flowers that grow in the gardens of her palace. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, so why was she thinking about it?

"Don't stop on my account."

The voice startled her for a moment, causing her to lower herself, and she pulled herself from her thoughts, rolling her eyes when she realised it was Hook.

"Wouldn't think of it…" she managed, hoisting herself up again.

She didn't need to look at him to know that his eyebrow was raised in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for a fight."

"Well, I've never known you to need to get ready for a fight. I thought it was a natural state. Besides, we're still several days out from our destination."

 _That_ caught her attention, the words sounding incredibly familiar, almost as though she had heard them before. "You can never be too careful, Hook."

"I suppose not."

She hopped off the container and sat down on it. When he wouldn't speak, she eyed him curiously. "Did you need something?"

He shook his head. "No, love. I just… I thought I should check on you."

"I'm good, thanks…"

Hook looked around the room before pulling his flask out and staring at it for a while. "Is it just me, or has this happened already?"

She looked up at him. "It's not just you. I swear we've met before."

He smirked then, and sat down opposite her. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah…" She trailed off, looking around the room.

"What is it?"

"I was just…" She shook her head. "Forget about it."

"If you've got a question, love, go ahead."

She looked at him briefly before continuing her look around the clearly aged room. "How long have you been doing… _this_?" She used her hand to motion to the ship. "The ship has clearly seen better days."

Hook chuckled softly at that. "Well, over a hundred years of sailing will do that to a ship… and a man."

That was odd. _'And a man.'_ She did an eyebrow raise of her own at that. "And a man?"

Hook looked to the floor sadly. "Aye, and a man. Me."

She was prepared to laugh a little at that, but, noticing the sincerity on his face, she stopped. "Wait, what? You've been doing this for—"

"Well over a hundred years," he finished for her.

Emma stared at him before deciding to believe his tale. She took his rum flask from him a took a long gulp from it. She handed it back to him and stared at him expectantly.

"What?"

"You can't just tell me you're over a hundred years old and not expect me to wonder how you're still alive." She stood up and sat down on the same container as him. "Spill."

He got lost in her eyes for a moment, and she did her best to show him she was all ears. Emma had always been great listener. She smiled when he let out a sigh of resignation.

He started to speak, and Emma almost immediately got lost in his tale.

* * *

 **TWENTY-NINE YEARS AGO**

The Queen's curse was approaching quickly. It raged above the sea not too far away as it began to close in on the meadow where Hook and Cora now stood. Before it could reach the forest in front of them, Cora raised her staff and plunged it towards the ground, causing the staff to glow and a beam of light to burst from the top of it, rising high into the air and forming a large protective shield over several miles of land around them.

As the curse cloud began to scale the shield, unable to ravage the land where they now stood, Hook spoke up. "Wouldn't it have been easier to reconcile with her _before_ her curse destroys the land?"

"Regina doesn't need me…" Cora told him, turning her attention away from the storming cloud that had almost completely covered the shield at this point. "Not now, not when she thinks she's about to win, but I still have a place in her heart. And the curse won't last forever; it _will_ end. In twenty-eight years, there will be a Saviour, and she'll break it.

"Twenty-eight years?"

"You won't even notice. You'll be frozen, like all those in this corner of the land. But when the curse ends, out quest will resume, and when it does, Regina will truly have lost everything, and then she'll need me. _That's_ when we'll go to this new land. You'll get your revenge, and me, I'll…help her pick up the pieces."

They looked back up at the thunderous cloud above them. The flashing of lighting within the cloud began to grow faster, indicating that the curse was about to transport the people outside the shield to the Land Without Magic. However, Hook noticed the curse beginning to dissipate in front of them.

"What's happening?" he asked a strange wave of light touched the shield and began to make that disappear also. "Cora? What the bloody hell is happening?"

He looked to the Queen's mother, who was just as clueless as he was, a deep frown forming on her face. "I... I don't know. Once the curse has been enacted, it can't be stopped. This shouldn't be happening. This _can't_ be happening."

The curse evaporated into the air, leaving everything surrounding the two still intact. The wave 'whooshed' through them, seemingly depowering Cora, and causing her to fall to the floor. Her staff, which she had used to raise the shield, turned to dust next to her. Hook bent down to help her up. She accepted his arm and used it to push herself up. She attempted to light a fire within the palm of her hand, but couldn't.

"What the devil was that?" he asked, obvious shocked at Cora's inability to use her magic.

"Light magic."

* * *

 **TWO MONTHS AGO**

Emma listened intently as Hook told her part of his tale. She could tell he was leaving many details out, but she didn't push him on it. He told her about the Crocodile and his quest for revenge. He told her about his journey to Neverland, accidentally admitting that it was his second time visiting the island. When she asked him about the navy, he reluctantly spoke about his brother and their first trip to Neverland. His tale didn't really make sense until he told her that no one ages in Neverland. He spoke of his pairings with both the Evil Queen and her mother, and finally reached the part about the Dark Curse.

"What happened to Cora then?"

"We parted ways," Hook explained. "She couldn't stay in the Enchanted Forest, not while Regina still thought she was dead. She went back to Wonderland where she has been ruling careful enough that Regina still believes she's dead." He stared at her curiously. "What became of the Evil Queen after the curse?"

She questioned him with her eyes, before scoffing nervously. "What makes you think I know what happened to her?"

He clenched his jaw, but held his gaze. "Well, my guess is that you're one of those pirates without a ship, since you were clearly unaccustomed to the sea-fairing ways for the first few days of our journey."

He was looking at her as though he knew all her secrets, everything she was keeping from him. "Well, um… From what I gather, she was imprisoned by the fairies in her castle."

"Hmph."

"What happened to you after that?" Her question broke the long silence that followed his words.

"After Cora? Well, I stocked up on supplies—"

"You mean you _stole_ supplies," Emma interrupted, frowning.

Hook rolled his eyes. "Only from a few royal carriages who had no need _all_ the riches they were carrying. After that, I returned to Neverland. Magic beans have become easier to come across lately. I _did_ bring an extra one with me, but Pan found it and took it from me. One day two years ago, he sent me on a journey to retrieve something for him here, leaving me with that extra bean. I figured I'd risk his anger at my staying here. There was nothing for me in Neverland. I had no reason to stay."

"And, what? You've been robbing from royals ever since."

"Not exactly. These traders we're on our way to see were offering something that I'd been in search of for a long time for that ring."

"Did you get it? This reward?"

"Aye, I haven't used it yet, however."

She eyed him curiously. "Used it? What was the reward?"

He smirked at her and, almost as though it were planned, Smee called out to him. He stood up. "I best be going."

"Wait, what was the reward?"

He continued smiling even as he closed the door behind him, leaving Emma alone in her room. She let out a sigh, despite the smile on her face. It dropped when she realised how intoxicated she had been by his storytelling, how his smile made her smile, how he felt so familiar, and yet so different.

Not wanting to dwell on it much longer, she began doing her preparations once more, and continued doing them for the next two hours, too anxious to return to her thoughts.

* * *

 **ONE WEEK LATER**

Not a day went by in the two weeks she had traveling that Emma didn't think of her parents. Her dreams were filled with images of them worrying about her constantly, the stress eating at them slowly. She hoped and prayed that Gold had made it back to castle safely on his own to tell them that she was okay. She would be able to come home soon enough. The island they were headed to was just within reach, according to Hook.

When her dreams weren't filled with her parents, they were filled by him. Her mind raced with flashing images of him, dressed in his tight black outfit in a tropical jungle of some sort. Last night, there was an image of Hook and a little boy. He was playfully poking him with a stick.

Emma saw the little boy too, everywhere. Sometimes, he would be on the bow of the ship, looking out at the sea. She'd blink and he'd be gone, as though he were never there. The images had no context to them. They couldn't be memories, of course. Emma had never met Hook before today, and she had no idea who that little boy could be.

She was leaning on the wooden barrier towards the bow of the ship when Hook approached here, smiling softly.

"Hello, love." She looked to him, and he noticed the confusion in her eyes. "You look vexed…like you could use a drink."

He held out his rum flask to her, and she gladly took a big sip of it. "I was just thinking about things."

"Like what?"

"I was just thinking…" She trailed off when she remembered that she couldn't tell him who she really is, despite her trusting him. "Um, thinking...what that reward was. You never told me."

Hook chuckled at that. "You preoccupy yourself with unnecessary thoughts, love."

 _You don't know the half of it._ She smiled. "Well, if it's so 'unnecessary', you won't mind telling me, would you?"

He took a moment, clearly enjoying the challenge she was creating for him. He reached into the small pouch on his belt (similar to the pouch that Emma kept his ring in), and pulled out a glass vial.

She eyed it curiously. It was an oval-shaped vial filled with a bright red liquid. It was corked with a red heart.

She looked between his eyes and the bottle. "What is that?"

"The Elixir of the Wounded Heart."

She was momentarily taken aback. "A potion?"

"Aye. It can cure wounded hearts, both physically and emotionally."

"Why on earth would you need that?" Her eyes widened in shock as she considered what ailment would require that. Instinctively, she reached out and touched his chest, right over where his heart should be. "Is your heart okay?"

She couldn't stop the words as they left her mouth. She clamped her free hand over her mouth, but felt no desire to move her hand from his chest. He stared at her in awe, and muttered something along the lines of "not anymore…" before she took her hand back, desperately trying to ignore the feeling of warmth that disappeared as soon as she did.

"Sorry…" she managed. "I, uh, don't know what came over me."

He was looking at her with such soft eyes that she felt as though her heart might burst. _Not good, Emma, not good. You met this guy two weeks ago. Slow down._

"Uh…" He seemed to be a loss for words. "Nothing is wrong with my heart physically. No, my problem is a little more…" He winced. "Difficult to solve."

"And what's that?"

"A broken heart."

And he started talking, and talking, spilling everything about this woman—Milah, he had called her—that he had loved before she was taken by him by the Crocodile. He was as shocked at his willingness to talk as she was. He trusted her so much that he had told her all about his lost love. She had suspected that there was _some_ trust between them, but she couldn't have been certain. But now, after his outburst, she was overcome with a sense of trust. And so, she took a leap of faith.

"Hook, I need to tell you something."

"Anything, Swan." His tone was soft.

"I'm not—"

"Land ho!" Walker yelled from his perch in the crow's nest.

She and Hook looked out at the horizon before them, and noticed a shadow standing out against the night sky. She could make out several features despite the time of day, like the forest of trees and the large mountains.

She didn't take her gaze of the island when she asked her question. "Is that it?"

"Aye," he responded. "Stalk Island."

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _ **Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**_

 _ **...**_ _ **Well, it's not a BEANstalk, per say, but it's the best I could do without having them climb an ACTUAL beanstalk... I can't blame you if you internally groaned at that one.**_

 _ **Also, just a little detail in case you thought of it: the reason the power of the True Love's Stalk affected Cora and not Regina is because Regina was too close to the source of the burst, and its power hadn't fully built up, if that makes enough sense for you guys.**_

 _ **I hope you guys are ready for a big CS adventure next chapter. This isn't gonna be slow-burn, in case you were curious. In fact, things get quite fast from here on out...**_

 _ **Title Spoiler:**_ **CHAPTER SEVEN – STALK ISLAND**


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